May 12, 2013
MALAYSIA: AFTER THE GE
Back in 1965, it was differences in race policy that led to Separation of Singapore and Malaysia
By Han Fook Kwang Managing Editor
A week after Malaysians voted in their 13th General Election, the political fires are still raging.
Was it a Chinese or a wider Malaysian tsunami that caused the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to lose its share of the popular vote to the opposition? Is Malaysia more polarised along racial lines or is there a sharper urban-rural divide?
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The psychological poverty trap
The poor aren't less able, they're distracted, says poverty expert Eldar Shafir. Privileged people subjected to the same conditions would also make bad decisions.
By Asher Schechter
Feb.23, 2012
From Haaretz
In a behavioral economics experiment several years ago, researchers asked shoppers at a New Jersey mall to handle the following decision: Have your faulty car repaired for either $150 or $1,500. While the participants were considering how to decide, they were given simple cognitive tasks like solving puzzles.
The researchers, Prof. Eldar Shafir and Jiaying Zhao, both from Princeton University, and Harvard University Prof. Sendhil Mullainathan, expected that the stress from contemplating the $1,500 expense would hurt performance. They were right. But participants with above-average incomes succeeded in their tasks under both scenarios, while those with average or low incomes did worse as repair costs climbed.
Even the prospect of spending any money at all damaged the ability of low-income earners to think rationally.
By Asher Schechter
Feb.23, 2012
From Haaretz
In a behavioral economics experiment several years ago, researchers asked shoppers at a New Jersey mall to handle the following decision: Have your faulty car repaired for either $150 or $1,500. While the participants were considering how to decide, they were given simple cognitive tasks like solving puzzles.
The researchers, Prof. Eldar Shafir and Jiaying Zhao, both from Princeton University, and Harvard University Prof. Sendhil Mullainathan, expected that the stress from contemplating the $1,500 expense would hurt performance. They were right. But participants with above-average incomes succeeded in their tasks under both scenarios, while those with average or low incomes did worse as repair costs climbed.
Even the prospect of spending any money at all damaged the ability of low-income earners to think rationally.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Safeguarding free speech and confidence in judiciary
May 04, 2013
Singapore's contempt of court laws allow the courts to take into account whether statements are 'fair criticism' and if there is a 'real risk' of scandalising the judiciary. This provides a middle ground in protecting free speech while not undermining public confidence in the administration of justice
THE Straits Times reported on April 27 that the Attorney-General's Chambers has maintained its position that the contempt of court laws will stay in place in Singapore.
BY INVITATION
Singapore's contempt of court laws allow the courts to take into account whether statements are 'fair criticism' and if there is a 'real risk' of scandalising the judiciary. This provides a middle ground in protecting free speech while not undermining public confidence in the administration of justice
Friday, May 3, 2013
Keeping Singapore ahead of the competition
May 03, 2013
At the May Day Rally on Wednesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of the economic restructuring to improve wages and Singaporean workers' lives. Here's an excerpt from his speech.
EVERYTHING we do is about making life better for our people and especially for our workers. We are making progress on our infrastructure, whether it's housing or transportation, we're tackling population issues, including immigration and foreign workers - very sensitive, very difficult to discuss but we have to deal with them because otherwise we are going to have big problems coming to us.
At the May Day Rally on Wednesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of the economic restructuring to improve wages and Singaporean workers' lives. Here's an excerpt from his speech.
EVERYTHING we do is about making life better for our people and especially for our workers. We are making progress on our infrastructure, whether it's housing or transportation, we're tackling population issues, including immigration and foreign workers - very sensitive, very difficult to discuss but we have to deal with them because otherwise we are going to have big problems coming to us.
Getting real over what works
May 03, 2013
WHEN China, India and the former Soviet bloc transformed themselves
into market economies towards the end of the last century, the global
labour pool expanded from about 1.46 billion workers to 2.93 billion.
The Great Doubling, as that phenomenon has been called, gave a new lease
of life to globalisation, but it also put pressure on workers in the
developed world to compete with the newcomers.
EDITORIAL
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Wild greenery makes S'pore a global eco-city
May 01, 2013
By Ho Hua Chew for The Straits Times
LOOKING at the Land-use Plan 2030 that came with the White Paper on population, it appears that almost everywhere outside the Tekong and Western Catchment military areas will be built up, leaving only about 9 per cent as parks and nature reserves.
By Ho Hua Chew for The Straits Times
LOOKING at the Land-use Plan 2030 that came with the White Paper on population, it appears that almost everywhere outside the Tekong and Western Catchment military areas will be built up, leaving only about 9 per cent as parks and nature reserves.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
No American Airport In Top 25
April 30, 2013
by Egberto Willies
America continues its race to the bottom of the pile because of a government that refuses to do the things that made us the great nation we were and should be. President Obama gave a news conference today and made a statement I simply had to fact check because it seemed unbelievable.
by Egberto Willies
America continues its race to the bottom of the pile because of a government that refuses to do the things that made us the great nation we were and should be. President Obama gave a news conference today and made a statement I simply had to fact check because it seemed unbelievable.
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